Journal Reviews
Tamsulosin and spontaneous passage of ureteral stones in children
This was a retrospective analysis of data for five years from four institutions comparing stone passage rates in children with ureteric stones ≤10mm, aged 2-18, treated with tamsulosin vs. analgesia alone. The study identified 449 children, of whom 334 were...
Androgen insensitivity in patients with proximal hypospadias
A number of surgeons use preoperative androgen stimulation for a period of time prior to hypospadias surgery. The aim is to increase glans circumference, penile length and improve prepucial vascularisation pre-surgery. Data confirming the results of these aims is scarce....
Adolescents and adults in paediatric urology clinics
This elegant descriptive paper retrospectively reviewed cases seen in a paediatric urology clinic with respect to age, diagnosis and presentations in a major Brazilian city. Of 521 patients, 404 were <12 years old, 103 were between 12-18 and 14 were...
A novel approach to surgical management of the nutcracker phenomenon
The nutcracker phenomenon is defined as compression of the renal vein between the aorta and superior mesenteric artery and can present with loin pain, haematuria and a left-sided varicocele with treatment options including left renal vein transposition, superior mesenteric artery...
Priapism in children
I have to state a conflict of interest here for obvious reasons, being one of the authors. This paper reviews the English literature between 1980 and 2013 and summarises the clinical classification, aetiology, physiology and pathophysiology of paediatric priapism –...
Surgical management of DSD
The management of children with disorders of sex development (DSD) continues to be controversial. This editorial was written in response to a review article in the same edition on ‘Evidence regarding cosmetic and medically unnecessary surgery in infants’ by M...
The current state of surgical practice for neonatal torsion
Perinatal testicular torsion may be subdivided into prenatal (73%) and postnatal (28%) up to 30 days post birth. Aetiology in the former is universally extra vaginal around the whole of the tunica vaginalis with testicular salvage rate of <5%. Postnatal...
The risk of failure after primary orchidopexy
Surgical standards for revalidation are growing in the UK. For paediatric surgery, primary orchidopexy is thought to be one procedure that could be used as a ‘plumb line’ for this. These authors looked at 1538 boys who underwent 1886 orchidopexies...
New concepts, emerging technologies and potential therapeutics in testicular torsion
This review article is worthy of reading in its entirety. It addresses current concepts in the management of one of the few paediatric urological emergencies. For every 100,000 males <25 years, 4.5 will have testicular torsion per year. Given that...
Button vesicostomy
Poor bladder emptying often requires clean intermittent catheterisation (CIC). In significant numbers of children CIC is not possible for a variety of reasons and an alternative is needed. This paper reviews a single centre’s usage of the vesicostomy button over...
Long-term consequences of posterior urethral valves
These two papers give a very good summary of the long-term effects of posterior urethral valves (PUV) into adulthood and are worth a read. Pereira et al. It is well known that the consequences of posterior urethral valves extend well...
The GMS hypospadias score
Hypospadias surgery has been carried out for decades. Descriptive parameters for hypospadias severity are variable and difficult to reproduce. The severity of abnormalities lies along a continuous spectrum. The paediatric urological fraternity is attempting to develop more reliable comparators for...
